SXSW 2019
Reporting on Rural America Under Trump
Description:
Since the election of President Trump, the national media have turned “What do Trump voters think?”-themed stories into a cottage industry. But reporting on the realities that exist between the coasts requires more than just parachuting into the Heartland. There are stories to be told, and perspectives to be unpacked, that can only come from reporters who live in these communities. Hear four journalists, who live and work in rural America, discuss the issues that matter to their neighbors (hint: it may not be what you think), and their strategies for covering those stories with a sensitivity to both local sentiment and to the larger national debate about this moment in American politics.
Other Resources / Information
Takeaways
- What are the issues that most matter to rural communities, according to reporters from those communities?
- How has the national media succeeded and failed in covering rural issues since the election of President Trump? How can that coverage be improved?
- What are the dangers of “parachute journalism?” How has parachute journalism affected rural communities’ relationship with and trust of the media?
Speakers
- Leah Douglas, Associate Editor/Staff Writer, Food & Environment Reporting Network
- Pamela Dempsey, Executive Director, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
- Ted Genoways, Reporter and Author, Self
- Ken Ward Jr., Environmental Reporter, Charleston Gazette-Mail
Organizer
Tom Laskawy, Publisher & Executive Director, Food & Environment Reporting Network
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